The Nature dance: Old meets new in Carnatic-electronic dance music video ‘Akhila’

Can you seek answers to the problems life throws at you through Nature and dance? Akhila explores that idea in the eyes of a woman who has a conflict of sorts, and sets on a journey. Now available on YouTube, Akhila is described as a ‘Carnatic-electronic dance music video’, with instrumental music by Mahesh Raghvan, Karthick Iyer and Sumesh Narayanan. It features Nikitha Sharma as the protagonist.

The seed of Akhila was born when Phaneendra Medida, a North Carolina-based independent filmmaker, reached out to popular musicians Mahesh and Karthick for a possible collaboration. Medida initially planned to shoot and direct it in Iceland but due to travel restrictions in light of the pandemic, that was not possible. “The idea was to shoot in natural locations to be consistent with the core concept of the video that revolves around the central character seeking answers from Nature,” explains Medida.

With Iceland ruled out, Karnataka came to his rescue. He decided to rope in a filmmaker in India to execute the idea. Gomtesh Upadhye, Bengaluru-based filmmaker with experience in films like Lucia and U Turn, started working on the video. With rich experience in the format — his 2016 Telugu dance music video ‘Neeve’ fetched 21 million views on YouTube — Gomtesh and team scouted places in Karnataka to convey the protagonist’s journey.

“We needed places that would bring a ‘wow’ factor among viewers,” recalls Gomtesh, who zeroed in on locations in Shimoga and Chikmagalur. “We also shot for three days at a picturesque place called Kalasa. Due to the pandemic, there were no tourists in these places and we could capture the essence of the place, while placing our sole subject as the only human element in the frames.”

In Akhila, Nikitha Sharma drives, treks and breaks into a dance near a waterfall, even as she strives to resolve her inner conflicts by connecting to the abundant natural wonders around her. She does so while a soothing Carnatic instrumental track based on the song ‘Akhilandeshwari’ set in Dwijavanti raga plays in the backdrop. “The soundtrack was a contemporary touch to a very traditional number, much like how the protagonist who is a modern girl but holds on to traditional values,” says Gomtesh, who is currently working on a Telugu web series that features Nithya Menen in the lead.